Verdict is in...gall bladder is coming out!

Hi friends, just a quick update on me. After all this work to figure out whether the gall bladder is still an issue, we have figured out that I should have surgery to get it removed. Ultimately, these decisions come down to the patient and for me, I can tell my gall bladder needs some help, it is just not back to normal.

Of course, at this point, some might think I have a penchant for surgery. I wouldn't disagree with any of you if you thought that, however, I think this is probably the most thoughtful process we have gone through to determine whether this thing should be removed. I feel really good about the fact that this is the best option...as we have gone through most other options.

I have been on IV antibiotics for a while to see if the gall bladder would either resolve itself or "calm down", so to speak. We figured out that the resolution on its own did not work, but the antibiotics may allow me to have a less invasive procedure when I go in. This would be having them go in laparascopically over actually opening me up and taking it out.

The ideal scenario is to do the least invasive so the surgeon is going to try laparoscopic first...then if that does not work, he will do the other. I have been on pain medicines to help reduce the pain. I am not very good at managing this as I tend to just think I should push through the pain. Maybe that is the old athlete in me, regardless, this type of pain is probably the worst I have ever felt...so Michael has been helping me with that. He is, once again, a gem!

My surgery is scheduled for early tomorrow morning, around 7am. I am not sure what my recovery will be like, but I will update the blog for you all as soon as I can. I am praying for the laparoscopic recovery, but will expect to have the longer recovery. Expectations are important to me so I always try to walk through the least favorable scenario so that I can be prepared.

What else? Oh, the reason we really pushed for this surgery now, which we did, is because the clinical trial will want me to recover from this surgery before I start the treatment. Trials are really strict so if we were not to resolve this issue now, I could be kicked out of the trial if I have to have a surgery while on the trial.

I feel like we had about twenty doctors involved in this decision...from my oncologist, GI doctors, general surgeons, radiologists, etc. However, I could not feel better about the decision or the way the surgical team is so thorough. We need to make sure my body is in optimal condition for any medicine. This is that last big hurdle to get us there!

What this means for me in the future is that I will be able to eat normal food, like pizza, and not feel physically bad afterwards. I will be able to regain energy and start working out again. However, I will be taking it really slow. I am sure my family will insist on it and I need to take my time. I haven't felt good for a while so I need to give myself some turnaround time.

Please send any positive thoughts or comments your way. My goal is to have this surgery and to move forward to recovery and keep moving toward optimal health each and every day.

I continue to appreciate all of your support and will write when I can this week.

Blessings,
Lolo